LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – AUGUST 09: James Tarkowski of Everton during the pre-season friendly match between Everton and AS Roma at Hill Dickinson Stadium on August 09, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
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Fantasy Premier League managers are getting to grips with a new side of the game this season, one which rewards players’ defensive contributions beyond clean sheets.
Those running the game noticed that defensive midfielders were often ignored by FPL managers, while the defenders rarely involved in goals or assists were not getting the rewards for their defensive play beyond clean sheets.
As a result, defenders will now get two additional points if they make more than ten clearances, blocks, interceptions, and tackles combined in a game.
The additional metric of recoveries will be included in the defensive contributions totals for midfielders and forwards, who will pick up two points if they make more than 12 clearances, blocks, interceptions, tackles, and recoveries combined in a game.
The maximum a player can get from this new system in one game is two points, but this can still be a valuable addition to overall totals, especially when they regularly come from players whose FPL value is fairly low.
James Tarkowski
This new source of FPL points was made for a player like Tarkowski, who is the epitome of the defensive contributor.
Having played most of his career under the solid defensive coaching of Sean Dyche at both Burnley and Everton, the right-sided center-back has been highly valued for his dogged defending by both Dyche and by Everton’s current manager, David Moyes.
Whether it’s blocks, tackles, clearances, or interceptions, Tarkowski will be there clearing up in defense, thwarting the opposition, and racking up the defensive contributions.
The official FPL website looked back at which players would have topped the charts for defensive contribution points in previous seasons, and Tarkowski would have come out on top in 2024/25 with 44 points, ahead of Moises Caicedo on 42.
Tarkowski, Brentford’s Sepp van den Berg, and Marcos Senesi of Bournemouth, are the only players to earn defensive contribution points in each gameweek so far.
Given his previous output has continued into the new season under the same manager, Tarkowski seems like the surest bet to take advantage of the game’s new defensive dimension.
Learning From Last Season
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 4: Moises Caicedo of Chelsea and Daniel Munoz Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace FC and Chelsea FC at Selhurst Park on January 4, 2025 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
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For midfielders and forwards, recoveries are also counted as a defensive contribution. Caicedo racked up the most recoveries in the league last season, with 229, averaging 6.16 per 90 minutes.
Of players likely to get regular minutes this season, Andre of Wolves (7.05), Adam Wharton at Crystal Palace (6.99), and Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson (6.83) were in the top three for recoveries per 90 minutes last season, but it’s important to remember that this stat is based on totals in individual games, so look for players regularly playing the full 90 minutes.
Crystal Palace is a team with several players who stand out for their defensive contributions. The club has the advantage of a settled style of play under Oliver Glasner, meaning numbers from last season should remain reasonably consistent in this one.
They boast two of the league’s most underrated defenders in center-back Maxence Lacroix and right-back Daniel Muñoz, and both are highly productive when it comes to defensive actions.
Both have the potential to register attacking numbers to go with the defensive side of the game, with Muñoz being an attacking right-back and Lacroix offering a threat at attacking set-pieces. Lacroix already has an assist from such a situation this season.
Everton midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye topped the league last season for tackles and interceptions combined with 187. Muñoz was just behind him in second place on 167, but had 108 clearances on top of that compared to Gueye’s 36.
Murillo of Nottingham Forest topped the league for clearances made in 24/25 with 249, with only six other players making over 200. Those were: Nathan Collins, Dara O’Shea, Tarkowski, Max Kilman, Nikola Milenković, and Lacroix. Collins also topped the league for blocks with 77.
We are already starting to see a handful of familiar names when it comes to this kind of defensive output.
Luxury Signings
Not all the players with the potential to collect points are known as dogged defenders.
Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk tops the charts for total defensive contributions so far this season, and picked up two points in Liverpool’s games against Bournemouth and Newcastle.
Bruno Fernandes has always been a potential FPL points machine, which is why he remains a popular pick despite Manchester United’s struggles.
His underlying numbers are regularly up there with the best in the league, and the Portuguese looks set to add defensive contributions to this.
He has picked up points from this source in his outings against Fulham and Burnley.
Nottingham Forest’s Managerial Change
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 11: Ange Postecoglou poses for a photo in the stands as he unveiled as Nottingham Forest head coach at City Ground on September 11, 2025 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
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Another aspect of this side of the game to keep an eye out for is team style, and how this could be affected by managerial changes.
Players in teams with low possession numbers are more likely to make defensive actions than those who have the ball for much of the game.
With this in mind, Nottingham Forest going from Nuno Espirito Santo to Ange Postecoglou will be something to monitor.
The likes of Anderson, Murillo, and Milenkovic regularly topped the defensive contribution charts under Nuno, but might now find themselves in a team that aims to keep hold of the ball rather than looking to bide their time before winning it back and counter-attacking.
If Postecoglou adopts a high defensive line straight away, there might still be some recovery defending for these players to do, which can keep defensive numbers high, as has been the case for Van Dijk at Liverpool.
Changes to the scoring system in such a long-standing game can be unpopular, but the addition of points for defensive contributions has been simple but effective, and has provided another fairly obvious area from which players can earn points.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesnalton/2025/09/11/fpl-points-for-defensive-contributions-rewards-these-dogged-defenders/
